Man, this show sure does know what it’s about. Nearly every moment here works hard to facilitate drama, atmosphere, and beauty, creating just the strongest possible sense of a specific time and place. Anime is eternally hung up over nostalgic youth, but ERASED’s setting feels real, feels like the actual uncomfortable, seemingly endless procession of days that are childhood. Anime is also normally a compromise between adaptive vision and original work mediocrity, and that doesn’t seem to be a problem here either – this is a nearly flawless adaptation of a legitimately good story. I really hope ERASED stays this strong to the end.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!
“X-day is between March 1st and Hinazuki’s birthday” nice, introducing solid thriller variables in a way that makes sense for this narrative
Hamada, who’s good at ice skating, racing Fujinuma
These sequences feel really grounded and real, classic childhood experiences – but they’re not idyllic. They feel busy and a little claustrophobic, with constant slight pressure from the social forces around you. The camera stays in low at the kids’ level, and the sound design uses constant laughter and other incidental noise to create a strong atmosphere
The character design and animation remains excellent
And Fujinuma’s concerns while racing the kid. “Is it okay to win? He goes through hard training every day”
“I made the same mistake I did 18 years ago”
More slow building sequences. Confronting Hanazuki, opening the teacher’s notes
March 2nd, the same birthday as his
Meaning she’ll be dead before the party
Yashiro Gaku, the teacher. He’s smart, but also seems menacing
So he has 11 days. It’s currently February 19th
A very tightly constructed narrative
Yuuki is 23
“To a kid, the way he talks has a persuasiveness and maturity”
“Satoru, you’ve become more mature somehow”
Oh man, this match cut to his mugshot is something
Occasional strings, and more incidental sound design. The rush of the wind, the chiming of a doorbell
So the officials actually are trying to build a case against the mother. Good
His adult confidence wins out a situation, and the girl trying to pick on Kayo starts crying. They’re just kids
It’s been a long time since I saw a production this convincing.
Thought I’d like to share something regarding Japanese. Although the episode title “痣” (aza) DOES translate to “birthmark”, this word is more commonly used for “bruises”. Most Japanese would use “傷” (kizu) to describe any injury in general, while “痣” (aza) is reserved for more specific references, such as in medical terms (i.e. superficial hematoma, ergo a ‘bruise’). The word “母斑” (bohan) is the more common term for birthmark.
Anyway, “bruise” would be a better translation for this episode, and it makes sense given the events. Awesome episode either way. 🙂